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Cannabis Profiling Based on Its Elemental Composition-Is It Possible?

NCJ Number
236200
Journal
Journal of Forensic Sciences Volume: 56 Issue: 5 Dated: September 2011 Pages: 1250-1255
Author(s)
Marzena Joanna Kuras, Ph.D.; Marek Jan Wachowicz, M.S.Eng.
Date Published
September 2011
Length
6 pages
Annotation
This study examined elemental composition of cannabis samples using GF AAS and ICP OES methods.
Abstract
Elemental composition of 85 cannabis samples was established using GF AAS and ICP OES methods. The robustness of the method was determined by analyzing eight independently prepared replicates from a single cannabis plant. The accuracy of the method was established by analyzing four plant certified reference material samples. The ability of discriminant analysis using elemental compositions to distinguish between fiber cannabis samples collected from four different regions of Poland was evaluated. Then, a classification model was developed that correctly classified selected samples of known origin. Cannabis samples confiscated by law enforcement agencies have also been subjected to discriminant analysis. A classification model has been developed for four locations in Poland (Bialystok, Koscierzyna, the environs of Skarzysko Kamienna, and Bydgoszcz), to help determine where samples of unknown origin could have been grown. (Published Abstract)